Last week Israel's air force unveiled its Heron TP fleet of unmanned aircraft, which it says can travel as far as Iran. War by remote control is faceless. We remain at a distance from those with whom we disagree. There is no basis for trust.

Senator Steve Fielding attempted to debunk climate change theories using graphs based on Channel 9's Snicko. The debate petered out when Tony Abbott incautiously declared it was all 'crap'. Re-thinking, he amended
crap to tax — it was just a big tax.

The Rudd Government is pursuing the same unprincipled border protection strategy
for which it criticised the Howard Government. It could better assist these refugees by asking the Sri Lankan Government why so many Tamils are fleeing the
country, especially if the war is over.

Many middle aged males are susceptible to having their egos flattered
when women appear to find them attractive. But in the case of
politicians, it is possible that the dangers involved make such affairs
irresistible.

Sydney's history has traditionally been interpreted through the
artefacts of a people who are literate and industrial: through
documents and buildings. The Colony acknowledges the equal importance of the sparse traditions of the Indigenous peoples.

Jack Charles is an Aboriginal elder, professional actor and part-time criminal. He describes his acts of burglary as 'collecting the rent' from white suburbanites who dwell on what could rightfully be considered Aboriginal land.

Sex scandals can make celebrities out of the most unlikely figures. But just how similar is the case of the Oxford poetry professorship candidate accused of sexually harrassing his students, and Australian Rugby League's group sex scandal?

Good
intentions are not enough. Gone should be the days when Aboriginals are marginal to the corridors of power. Perhaps it will not be until we have seen the first Aboriginal Prime
Minister that agitators for Indigenous justice will be vindicated.

It is enouraging that the Government's Defence White Paper de-emphasises the US alliance in favour of self-reliance. However, we still desperately need community debate about the ways in which a military force can be used morally.